A Fairytale in New York
by FluffyPikachuLovesYou
Summary: A chance encounter. And, it's Christmas (and New Years)! What could happen? Percabeth. AU. A holiday three-shot.
1. Chapter 1

Hello! How have you all been? How was your semester? Mine was hectic, but I survived and that's all that matters. My writing has been slow but since the break, I've really picked it up and cranked out this little three-part Christmas story. I hope you all enjoy it!

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

 ** _~December 21~_**

"Oh come on, guys," Percy complained. "We've been here all day. Can't we go home yet?"

"No, dude! I still have to find something for Piper!" Jason, his cousin, said.

"And I still have to find something for Juniper," Grover, his best friend, said.

"Ugh. You and your wives." Percy, Jason, and Grover had been at the mall shopping for Christmas. Every year since Percy moved out, Percy's mom and stepdad hosted Christmas at their house as a way to bring their family and friends together. Percy was done shopping for all his friends and family. In fact, he'd been mostly done for the past week but he only had a couple of presents left to get. He'd agreed to going Christmas shopping with Jason and Grover to get the last few gifts on his list; unfortunately, they didn't tell him that they hadn't done _any_ Christmas shopping so there he was, following them around as they searched for the many gifts they needed to buy.

"You're just saying that because you haven't found anyone yet!" Jason laughed.

"And how could I? Every girl I've dated is only interested in how they look and how I look. Whenever I try to hold a real conversation, it somehow turns into, 'I think this looks good on you! Oh! And it matches what I'm wearing!'" Percy said the last part in a mock falsetto voice.

"How are you still single? All those lady feelings boiling up inside you just _screams,_ 'whip me!'" Grover joked.

"Says the guy who's been in a relationship with the same girl since high school?" Percy jabbed. Jason oohed at the burn. "And you're no better! You've been with Piper since freshman year of college!" Grover snickered at the turned tables.

"Whatever man. We only need two more presents. If you're so tired, go to the food court or something and wait for us," Jason said. Percy sighed.

"Yeah. Whatever."

"And, hey, man. Lighten up. It's Christmas." Grover clapped Percy's shoulder and followed Jason, leaving Percy alone. Rolling his eyes, the black-haired man took the two bags that held what he bought, carefully put them over his shoulder, and made his way to the food court. After buying a cheeseburger and soda from one of the kiosks, he started searching for a seat. Balancing his tray and his things, Percy didn't see the purse on the floor in front of him. His foot caught the strap and he fell forward, sending his tray flying. He didn't need to look up to know that some unlucky bystander was wearing his lunch; a frustrated grunt sounded above him.

"Seriously?" a voice, female, asked annoyed. "Watch where you're going, jerk." Percy scrambled up, dusting himself off. He still hadn't looked up, gathering the things he'd bought off the ground, as he began to apologize.

"Hey, listen, I'm so, so, sor–"

"Save it. If this was some kind of way to pick up girls, you need to find a new strategy." Now peeved, Percy stuffed his last item into a bag.

"I _was_ gonna say sorry, but–" Percy stopped cold. In front of him was the most gorgeous girl he'd ever seen, even with the cheese and ketchup all over her. She had storm grey eyes that seemed to swirl like the clouds did before a huge storm and blonde hair that curled like a princess's. She was shorter than him, but not by much, and he wasn't short by any stretch of the imagination. She also had a sprinkle of freckles across her nose. Of course, he didn't get to take in the rest of her beauty as she had a hybrid look of expectant and pissed off on her face.

"But… But what? Huh?" she said, impatiently, crossing her arms over her chest. Percy blinked.

"Uh… nothing. I'm sorry. I tripped over a bag and… yeah. Sorry. I can buy you some new clothes or something, if you want," he offered.

"Really? That's your line? You couldn't think of anything better than that?"

 _Seriously?_ Percy thought. _As pretty as this girl was, she was rude and annoying as hell._ His frustration began to show on his face.

"Look," Percy said. "I'm sorry that my lunch became your new outfit. I was just trying to be nice and offer to buy you new clothes so you didn't have to walk around smelling like cheese. Geez. Not every guy wants to hit on you. You're not that special." He didn't have time for another girl who only cared about looks. He pulled out his wallet, took out two twenties, and handed them to her. "There. That should buy you a new outfit. Merry Christmas." With that, he walked away. Still hungry, he went over to a _Wetzel's Pretzels_ booth and ordered a cup of pretzel bits and cheese sauce.

 _Why the hell am I so awkward?_ he asked himself as he again tried to balance his food and the things he bought. _I can't be the only person struggling with this._ He looked around and saw people who'd ordered the same thing he did easily balance the cup, sauce, and their purchases, and groaned in frustration. _I hate shopping._ Finally able to get his life together, Percy walked through the mall, occasionally popping a pretzel bite in his mouth.

As he passed the Hot Topic, he had to do a double take when he recognized a head of spiky black hair. "Thalia?" he called out. She turned around in confusion, but that immediately cleared and a look of joy took over her features as she recognized him.

"Kelp Head!" she exclaimed. They hugged each other. "Whaddup, cuz?"

"Nothing much. Doing some last-minute Christmas shopping with Jason and Grover."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You?"

"Same."

"So… I guess you're going over to mom's for Christmas?" Percy asked.

"Of course! Aunt Sally's Christmas dinner is the best. I hate that I missed last year."

"Yeah. We missed you. But, we understand that you had a deadline to meet."

"Well, I will be there this year."

"Good to know. I'll let mom know." Percy smiled.

"You said Jason was here? Where is my little brother?" Thalia asked, looking around.

"He and Grover ditched me to buy gifts for their ladies. What about you? You here alone?"

"No," Thalia said, looking around again. "I'm here with a friend from college. She said she was going to grab a quick bite to eat and then meet me here, but I haven't seen her."

"Yeah?" Suddenly Percy's phone chimed. He checked it. "Hey, I'll see you on Christmas Eve at my mom's, alright? Grover just texted me. They're finally ready to go."

"Alright. Tell those two idiots I said 'Hi.'"

"I will. Bye Thals."

"Bye Perce."

Percy was walking away when he turned around and called out. "Hey! If your friend isn't doing anything for Christmas, bring her over. You know my mom. The more the merrier." He smiled.

Thalia nodded. "I'll let her know!"

With a final wave, Percy turned back around and set off to find his cousin and best friend.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

 _Ugh!_ Annabeth groaned as she continued to scrub at the mustard stain on her favorite grey cardigan. She'd been in the bathroom for the past ten minutes trying to clean herself up from her run in with the jerk in the food court. Sure, she wasn't the nicest to him either, but she had her reasons.

She'd just broken up with her boyfriend of four years and recently moved to New York as everything in San Francisco reminded her of him and she wanted a new start. And, it seemed like everywhere she went, someone was ogling her or hitting on her. It was getting really tiring. She'd probably had more plays done on her than there existed in Barney Stinson's Playbook. It was annoying that all the guys in New York saw in her were her boobs, ass, and California tan. Then she ran into that guy. So maybe he wasn't hitting on her. And when he looked up, he looked at her face. But still, he spilled his food on her, and then thought he could pay her off like the arrogant bastard he was. He pulled out forty dollars and handed it to her without a second thought. Guys who tended to throw money around most likely thought they were better than everyone around them and she couldn't stand those kinds of guys. Annabeth scoffed and threw the wet paper towel now covered in most of the mustard stain in the trash.

She took as step back and assessed her appearance. All of the food chunks were out and the stains were mostly gone. _Whatever. It's fine. I'm late meeting up with Thalia anyway,_ she thought. Grabbing her bags, Annabeth exited the restroom and headed over to the Hot Topic. As the blonde neared the store, she immediately recognized her best friend. "Thalia!" The spiky-haired girl turned around with a smile on her face.

"Annabeth! Hey!" They hugged. "What took you so long?"

"Some idiot spilled his food on me in the food court." She gestured to her outfit.

"That's sucks balls, dude."

"Tell me about it. To make it worse, he gave me forty dollars as though it would make up for it."

"Ooh… One of those guys?"

"I know, right? Honestly, I would've preferred it if he hit on me."

"Well, here's the bright side. You've got forty dollars! We've gotta spend it on something!" Leaving no room for refusal, Thalia dragged a now laughing Annabeth to the nearest clothing store. As they were in line to pay for the new outfit Annabeth was buying, Thalia spoke up. "Oh. By the way, what are you doing for Christmas?"

"Um… Nothing, really. Why?"

"My Aunt is hosting a Christmas party on Christmas Eve. You should totally come."

"What? No. That's a family affair."

"I insist! And besides, before you showed up to Hot Topic, I ran into my cousin. He told me to invite you."

"But he doesn't even know me. It'd be weird."

"No it won't. My Aunt opens her house for family _and friends_ on Christmas."

"Only if I'm not imposing."

"You won't be. I promise." Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Fine. I'll come."

* * *

And there you have it! Part one! I hope you enjoyed that! Stay tuned for parts two and three to come!

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	2. Chapter 2

Merry Christmas Everyone! I hope this installment is worthy enough as a gift for you all! Now... Without further ado...

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

 ** _~Christmas Eve~_**

Percy looked over his outfit and tilted his head, squinting, unsure of the tie over his green button down shirt. Christmas wasn't a formal occasion, but people showed up in nice clothes anyways. _Whatever,_ he thought. _I can always take it off later._ He buttoned his sports jacket and grabbed the large bag of gifts he had for his family and friends and left his apartment, heading down to his car, and driving to the suburbs of New York where his mom, Sally, and step-dad, Paul, lived. Traffic was surprisingly light for Christmas Eve and Percy pulled into the driveway, noting that there were four other cars that he recognized parked around the small blue house. Grabbing the bag of gifts from his trunk and walked up to the front door. He didn't wait long as a few seconds after he knocked, his mother opened the door in a nice red dress, her favorite cooking apron over it. "Hi, mom," he greeted with a smile, opening his arms for a hug.

"Percy!" She exclaimed with joy, stepping into the embrace. "How are you? Come in! It's cold out." She ushered him in and closed the door behind him. "Everyone is in the living room. You can put the gifts under the tree." Percy smiled and followed his mom's instructions. As he found a good place beside the tree, a blur crashed into him. He was barely able to stay standing.

"Percy!" the high-pitched voice of a little boy exclaimed.

"Tyson! Hey little buddy. What's up?" Percy ruffled his eight-year-old half-brother's hair.

"Are those presents for me?"

"Not all of them. But one of them does have your name on it."

"Yay!"

He greeted the rest of his family and friends and, grabbing a beer, joined Jason, Grover, Nico, Frank, and Leo in a discussion over the current rankings of the NBA season.

"If the Rockets can pull themselves together, they definitely have a shot at the Finals this season," Leo, ever the Houstonian, argued.

"They'd still have a long way to go if they want to beat the Warriors, though. Remember last season's playoffs?" Jason smirked. Having lived in Oakland for most of his childhood, the blonde haired man showed pride in their team.

"Oh, shut up, man," Leo grumbled, to which all the other boys laughed. Percy didn't really follow the NBA, as he was more a swimmer than anything else, but he enjoyed basketball and would watch whenever it was on. As the boys began predicting the bracket for the 2016 NBA playoffs, Percy heard the doorbell ring and went over to answer it. He opened the door to see Thalia standing there with a dish in her hand.

"Hey, Pinecone Face," Percy smirked. He looked down at the dish. "You cooked? Are you trying to kill us?"

"Har, har. Very funny. If you must know, it's a chocolate soufflé, and I didn't cook it. Annabeth did. She forgot her phone in the car and ran to get it," Thalia said.

"So you brought your friend," Percy noted.

"Yup. Now can I come in or what?" Percy chuckled.

"Yeah. The rest of the food's in the dining room. Everyone else is in the living room."

"Thanks Kelp Head. The gifts are all on the porch," Thalia called walking past him. Percy rolled his eyes at his cousin. For being three years his elder, she sure acted much younger than he did. He stepped out into the cold whether, regretting having left his coat inside and gathered the giant bag that held his cousin's gifts for everyone. As he swung it over his shoulder and stood, he was face to face with another person. One he didn't know, but immediately recognized. Nevertheless, he jumped, startled.

"Hey! You're that girl from the mall!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger at her.

"You're the guy that decided cheeseburger and fries would go great with my outfit," she replied, her eyes narrowed. Percy immediately backed down. For two reasons, actually: (1) he still felt bad, even though she was rude to him about it, and (2) the look she was giving him was scarier than both his mom's death stare and Thalia's death stare combined. His hand flew up to the back of his neck.

"Yeah. Like I said. I'm sorry about that."

"Sure." He noticed the gift bag in her hand. He motioned toward it.

"What's that?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"Gifts. Thalia helped me pick them out," Annabeth explained. Percy held back a smile. This girl was constantly surprising him. First, he thought she was annoying, and now, kind and generous.

"You didn't have to do that," Percy said. Annabeth shrugged.

"I didn't want to be empty-handed showing up here. I'd feel weird."

"You're an invited guest. And besides, you made that soufflé." Annabeth shrugged. They stood there awkwardly and without conversation keeping his mind off the cold, Percy started to feel it. "Why don't we go inside and you can meet everyone?" he offered. Annabeth only smiled and followed him inside. After she was introduced to everyone, Percy watched as the blonde-haired enigma joined a conversation with Piper and Thalia.

"Dude," Grover said, waving his hand in front of Percy's face to get his attention. He snapped back to reality.

"What?"

Frank chuckled. "Man, you got it bad."

"Yeah. Who would've thought? You and Annabeth?" Jason smirked.

"What? Dude, no. We just met," Percy denied.

"Every relationship starts with two people meeting," Nico noted.

"Oh, come on. She probably doesn't even like me," he said.

"What makes you say that?" Jason asked.

"We've actually met before. Kind of. At the mall a couple of days ago. I… uh… accidently spilled my lunch on her."

Leo laughed. "You what?"

"Shut up, Leo. It's not funny," Percy grumbled.

"Yes, amigo, it totally is funny." Percy rolled his eyes.

"Whatever." Jason opened his mouth to say something else when, thankfully, his mom called him over. Percy quickly excused himself and went into the kitchen. "Yes mom?" he asked.

"Sweetheart, I just realized that we don't have any champagne and only two bottles of red wine. Do you mind dropping by the store really quick to go pick some up?"

"Sure. You want anything specific?" he asked.

"No. I trust you."

"Alright." He kissed his mom on the cheek. "I'll be back."

"Thank you!" she called as he gathered his keys and coat. He gave one final wave before exiting the house.

At the store, Percy picked out a nice bottle of Chardonnay, a bottle of Moscato, a bottle of Merlot, and Pinot Noir and placed them in his cart. He knew they went great with the turkey that his mom made and the cheese platter that Hazel brought. He passed a bottle of Sherry and picked it up as well. _Gotta have something for dessert,_ he thought. As he made his way to the checkout line, he passed the gift card stand. Upon seeing it, the first thing that came to mind was Annabeth and her gifts for everyone at the party. It occurred to him that no one knew she would be there and so she wouldn't get any gifts. Making up his mind, Percy picked up one of the Visa gift cards, found a nice Christmas card in the greeting cards aisle, and stood in line to pay for his purchases.

He parked and managed to balance all of the things he purchased to the front door. _Crap,_ he thought. He realized he had no hands to open the door with. Eyeing the doorbell, he positioned his hip to try and hit it. As he was backing up, the door opened. Percy froze like a deer in headlights, his butt raised and poised to hit the doorbell. In the doorway, Annabeth stood, an amused expression on her face. Percy cleared his throat and straightened up. "I uh… couldn't get the door," he explained dumbly.

"I figured. I saw your headlights in the window. I thought you might need some help," was all Annabeth said. Percy was grateful she didn't bring up his awkward pose.

"Thanks." He allowed Annabeth to take two of the four bags in his arms. As she got close, a whiff of her scent wafted into his nose and Percy smiled inwardly. She smelled like lemons, which Percy found pleasant. They walked in, closing the door behind them, and brought the bottles to the kitchen.

"Percy!" his mom greeted, lifting a casserole to carry to the table. "Right on time. We were just about to start dinner." Percy smiled.

"Perfect." He removed his coat and hung on the rack and joined everyone in the dining room. Paul and Sally sat at the heads of the table; Jason, Piper, Leo, Calypso (Leo's fiancée), Frank, Hazel and Grover sat on one side; and Juniper, Reyna, Nico, Thalia, Annabeth, Percy, and Tyson sat on the other. Sally led a prayer before everyone attacked the delicious feast that she had prepared.

Small talk ensued, engaging the whole table as they ate, before deeper conversations took place between smaller groups. Percy was listening to Tyson's tale of the horrors of third grade.

"And then," the little boy said. "Susie Walker stood up and called Mikey a doody-head!"

"What?!" Percy asked, mock shock on his face. "No way! And what did Mikey say?"

"Mikey said that it wasn't possible for him to be a doody-head because doody comes out of his butt, not his head," Tyson answered matter-of-factly. Percy genuinely laughed at the response. He couldn't wait to have a son of his own. He just needed to find the right girl first. Percy ruffled his little brother's hair before taking another bite. In the corner of his eye, he could see Annabeth, who was seated beside him, take a bite of her own food before turning to continue her conversation with Thalia. He tried not to eavesdrop, but as they were sitting right next to him, it was kind of impossible. To avoid attention, Percy continued to look focused on his food.

"He was a total ass. I can't believe I didn't see the signs before. I'm usually keen on reading other people."

"Love is blinding Annabeth," Thalia said. "But rather than regret the time you had with him, why not embrace it and take the growth you had from the experience."

"Honestly, Thals," Annabeth said in a tone so soft that Percy had to strain to hear. "Do we really have to talk about Ethan here? It's Christmas and the last thing I want to do is think about that jerk." Annabeth turned back to her food, ending the conversation. Percy nearly dropped his fork. Thalia always got the last word in their conversations/arguments. Annabeth was in a class all on her own.

It was nearing the end of dessert when Percy stood up with his glass of wine in his hand. He cleared his throat. "I'd like to make a toast," he announced. Everyone picked up his or her wine glasses and Tyson even picked up his plastic champagne flute filled with apple juice. "First of all, thank you, mom and Paul, for hosting Christmas every year and allowing all of us to be here to celebrate. And thank you to everyone who brought in a dish even if you didn't have to. The food was delicious and we have you all to thank for that. I look around this table and I see people of different backgrounds, stories, and issues. And the only thing that comes to mind is: 'This is my family.' So, this one goes out to all of you who have been with us for years or those of you who are brand new. Thank you for making this successful dinner a success. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."

"Cheers!" Everyone exclaimed before taking a sip from their wine glass.

Clean-up was quick as everyone pitched in to help. They were all gathered in the living room, enjoying a cup of after-dinner coffee. "So, Annabeth," Sally said after taking a sip from her mug. "Tell us a little bit about yourself." All the attention turned toward the blonde and Percy found himself curious.

"Uh… Well," she began. "I'm originally from San Francisco but I recently moved here to New York."

"For a job?" Jason asked.

"One of the reasons. I start as a junior architect over at Olive Branch on Monday."

"Oh! Hey! The construction company I work for has a contract with them," Leo joined in. "Maybe we'll get a project together." Annabeth smiled.

"What was the other reason?" Hazel inquired. Percy watched Annabeth and noticed that she'd gotten uncomfortable with the question.

"Uh… I…" she struggled. Percy decided to speak up.

"I'm sure that whatever the other reasons Annabeth has for moving to New York are rather personal," he said. "We just met her. We wouldn't want to scare her off."

"No, we wouldn't," Paul chimed in. "We're happy to have you, Annabeth. Welcome to the East Coast."

"Thank you," she replied, shooting a thankful glance Percy's way. He returned it with a small smile of his own.

"Mom!" Tyson exclaimed, pointing at the clock. "It's almost midnight!"

"It is," Sally affirmed, putting her mug down on the coffee table. "It's time for presents!" They passed out all of the gifts and he could noticed that the only gift Annabeth got was from Thalia, which only confirmed his earlier suspicions.

At midnight, everyone opened their gifts and said their thanks to the respective persons. Once all the gifts were opened and the trash thrown away, Percy went over to the tree and pulled out the Christmas card he'd hidden. "Hey, guys," he said holding it up. "There's one more gift here."

"Who's it for?" his mom asked. Percy pretended to not know and looked it over.

"It's for Annabeth." The blonde haired woman had a surprised look on her face, obviously not expecting anything. He handed the card to her and they all watched as she opened it. Opening the card, glitter shot out of the top and 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' started playing. Rather than smiling and laughing like Percy expected, she stood up, grabbed his hand, and dragged him out of the living room and into one of the bedrooms.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

"What the hell is this?" she asked, shoving the gift card into his hands.

"It's a Christmas gift," he answered, confused.

"Why?"

"It's Christmas?" Normally, the natural response to receiving a gift was a simple 'thank you' and a hug.

"A hundred dollars, Percy? That's too much."

"No, it's not. You went out and bought everyone here a present. You're the only one that didn't get any."

"I did get a gift."

"One. From Thalia. You deserve more than that."

"Percy, I can't accept this."

"Why not?"

Annabeth thought about it. There were so many reasons as to why she couldn't accept it – more like wouldn't accept it. For one thing, she'd lived among people who were used to having nice things handed to them while she had to work hard to get those same things. Her pride wouldn't allow her to just start accepting gifts and hand-offs, even in gift form. Second, Percy was probably doing this because he felt bad, rather than from the bottom of his heart, so the gift didn't feel genuine. Third, her disdain for guys who threw away money bubbled up. "Just… _because,_ " she said, not wanting to dump all of her crap on a guy she just met. Percy gave her a look that said he didn't buy her answer. "Why is it such a big deal that I accept this?"

"Why is it such a big deal that I gave it to you?" he countered.

"It just is, Percy." Percy sighed.

"Look, Annabeth," he said. "I don't know what's running through your mind or what your reasons for wanting to turn down this gift, but I just want you to know that I bought that for you because I wanted to. I genuinely wanted to, one, as a thank you for the delicious soufflé you made and, second, for the gifts you bought that you definitely didn't have to. You've been so kind to everyone tonight, I just wanted to return that to you. You don't seem like the kind of girl that takes handouts and I think that's awesome. A lot of girls I know would jump at a chance for a free hundred dollars, but you're different and… I like that about you." He took her hands in his. "Listen, accept it or don't, but I think it'd be a waste of a hundred dollars because I sure as hell am not gonna take it back." He gave her a boyish smile that only made her want to smile.

 _What was it about this man_ , she wondered. He wasn't like other men she knew, despite her original assessment of him. He was kind and thoughtful and, she realized, didn't throw his money around, but rather gave it away to people he felt needed it or deserved it. Not that she needed money, but seeing as he didn't know her or what she liked and the fact that it was a last minute gift, it was the best thing he could do in the moment. She released his hands and pulled him into a hug. "Thank you," she said softly into his ear.

"You're welcome," he replied. When they separated, his hand flew up to the back of his neck. "We should, uh… we should get back to the party."

"Right." She fiddled with the card and gift card. "We should…" She motioned with her thunb to the door. Percy, breaking his trance, opened the door and allowed her to walk ahead of him.

They stepped out and made their way back to the living room. Just as they passed under the arch that separated the living room from the hallway, Thalia yelled, "Stop!" Both Percy and Annabeth froze, unsure of what was going on. Jason, Grover, and Leo all pointed up. The two looked at each other before looking up. There, hanging right in between the two of them was a sprig of green tied to the arch by a red ribbon: mistletoe. Annabeth could feel her face heat up and saw the blush creeping up Percy's neck.

"You know the rules," Piper chimed in. Everyone looked at them expectantly. Percy, ever the awkward man, cleared his throat.

"Umm," he said, just loud enough so that only she could hear him. "We don't have to…"

"Really? Cause they don't seem to think so." Annabeth looked over at her best friend to see that she had a smirk on her face. The blonde narrowed her eyes. "Let's just do it and get it over with."

"Right. Yeah. It's just a kiss, right?"

"Yeah." They looked at each other. For a second, Annabeth saw Percy's eyes drop to her lips. She gulped as he leaned down. Meeting him halfway, she touched her lips to his. There was no spark or fireworks or anything like that, not that Annabeth was expecting any of that, but she could feel a warmth growing from her stomach, radiating to the rest of her body as their lips moved in sync. Finally, after what seemed like ages, but really couldn't have been more than thirty seconds, they pulled away, both of them with their faces red. Annabeth looked into Percy's eyes and saw the fire burning behind his sea-green irises and realized that he probably saw the same thing in her eyes. Breaking the moment, Percy cleared his throat again and looked away.

"Merry Christmas," he said under his breath, before walking back toward his seat on the couch. Everyone had already returned to their previous conversations, thankfully ignoring her as she stood there, speechless.

"Merry Christmas," she whispered to no one in particular, biting her lip, and rejoining the group of people on the couches.

* * *

And there you have it! Part 3 to come!

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


	3. Chapter 3

Happy New Year! Or well, Happy New Year's Eve. I hope you guys enjoyed the last installment! Because here's the next one! I loved doing this... I'm actually thinking about continuing it... Maybe start another story and have this one serve as a prequel. Idk. We'll see. Anyways... here's the final part of _A Fairytale in New York._

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters of Percy Jackson and the Olympians... Obviously since I am in no way, shape, or form Rick Riordan.

* * *

 ** _~New Years Eve~_**

Percy wasn't really one for going out on New Years. Especially being in New York. There were crowds everywhere and he was more of a homebody. Besides, he never really had anyone to go out with. All of his friends had dates to whatever party there was and he was always left as the odd man out. However, since Christmas Eve, he and Annabeth had kept in touch, texting each other every once in a while. Though, they haven't seen each other in person since. In fact, that night was the first time they'd be seeing each other since Christmas Eve. They were going to go to a local bar, _Ambrosia,_ with their friends for a couple of drinks and to watch the ball drop on television. Annabeth was coming over so they could carpool.

Just as he tied the laces on his sneakers, his intercom buzzed. He clicked the call button. "Yeah?"

"It's me," was the voice on the other end. Percy immediately recognized it as Annabeth's. He smiled.

"Come on up!" He buzzed her in and finished looking his appearance over in the mirror. He wasn't normally one to really care about his outfit; he hated people who only cared about their appearance. But, he found himself wanting to impress Annabeth. Even though they'd only talked to each other through text messages, he found that they had enough in common to get a long but were different enough that there would always be surprises. Talking to her through text messages, he was able to focus on learning about Annabeth the person and not the blonde bombshell that made him want to forget about his mother's lesson on being respectful to women. Just before he got lost in thought about the grey-eyed blonde, a knock on his door brought him back to Earth. With a smile on his face, he opened the door to reveal said girl, her outfit concealed by the large dark grey coat that buried her frame, but accented her eyes. "Hey," he greeted, unsure if he should hug her or leave it at a friendly welcome.

"Hey," she greeted back.

"Did you want to come in for a bit or head out now?"

"It's still early, we can stay in for a while," Annabeth said. "Besides, I need to defrost for a bit. It's freezing out there." Percy gestured for her to enter his apartment and took her coat after closing the door behind them.

"Yeah… Welcome to the Big Apple," he said with a smirk as he hung her coat on the coat rack. He watched as she walked further into his apartment, into the living room. "Did you… uh… want something to drink? Tea? Water?"

"Tea is fine, thanks," she replied, never taking her eyes off the pictures he had on the shelf. Percy went into the kitchen and put a mug of water into the microwave and set the timer for two minutes. Setting aside a tea bag of earl grey, Percy went back into the living room. "Where was this taken?" Annabeth asked, pointing to a picture of him and his parents standing on a beach.

"Montauk. It was summer. I was five." He could feel a sad smile on his features. "It was the last summer with my dad." He picked up the frame and ran his thumb over his father's face.

"What happened?" Annabeth asked, pure curiosity in her tone.

"He was a sailor. One of his voyages took him down to Florida. While he was out, there was a storm. His ship capsized. No one was found."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine. My mom found Paul eventually and I got a little brother in Tyson," Percy said putting back the picture and picking up another frame that held a picture of his eighteen-year old self, carrying a small bundle, with a huge smile on his face. "I was so excited to be a big brother." Percy looked at Annabeth as she looked at him. Their eyes locked, both of them frozen, unable to move. Percy felt himself lean forward, closing the distance between them. Annabeth was moving forward as well, meeting him halfway. Just as their lips touched, a loud beep in the kitchen caused them to jump apart. "Uh… Your tea… Right," Percy stuttered, stumbling slightly as he made his way back into the kitchen. Preparing the mug, Percy brought it back into the living room where Annabeth was sitting on the couch. He handed it to her and took a seat next to her.

It was really weird. When they were just texting, it was really easy for them to talk about anything. Now that they were face to face, starting any sort of conversation was a difficult task. "Thank you for the tea," Annabeth said, taking a sip of her tea, breaking the silence.

"No problem." Percy cleared his throat. "So… This is your first New Year's Eve celebration in New York." Annabeth nodded.

"It is. But I'm not really one for large crowds."

"Don't worry. I'm not either. We're meeting up with everyone at a local bar. Since most of the city will be in Times Square, it shouldn't be too crowded."

"Great. I think it'd be nice to be around friends to kick off a new year. Back in San Francisco, New Year's Eve was a relatively quiet affair. My family, some friends, we'd have some drinks and then watch the ball drop on TV," Annabeth reminisced.

"Well, it'll only be slightly louder here in New York." A beat. "In the bar. Times Square is a zoo." Annabeth laughed. Percy smiled, glad that he was the cause of the melodious sound. He eyed the clock on the wall; it was nearing ten o'clock. "We should probably head out, beat the rush."

"Good idea." They both stood and gathered their coats, leaving the apartment building down to the lot where Percy's car was parked.

•-•

When they arrived at the bar, Percy was pleased to see that he was right and that it wasn't crowded at all. A couple of booths and tables were filled and there were a number of taken seats at the bar. "It doesn't seem like anyone's here yet, let's grab a booth." They went over to the back of the room and sat in the largest booth, one that would surely fit their whole group. He took Annabeth's coat from her and laid it with his in the small area above their seats before joining her. "Did you want something to drink?" he asked.

"Just a glass of wine for now." Percy raised his arm, signaling to a waitress.

"Hey, Percy. What can I get for you?" she asked.

"Hey, Katie," Percy greeted with a kind smile. "Just the usual draft for me and glass of red."

"Did you want some food with that?"

"Some fried green tomatoes and fried mozzarella."

"Comin' right up. I'll go ahead and start a tab for you." Percy smiled and handed her his card.

"Thanks. And… the only people authorized to add to it are me and Annabeth here." Katie gave a knowing smirk.

"Alright," she replied, taking the card from him. "I'll be back with your drinks."

"Thanks." Percy smiled once more before turning to Annabeth. "What?" he asked in response to the look Annabeth was giving him.

"You come here often?" she asked. Percy chuckled.

"Oh, yeah," he joked. "I come here to drown all my sorrows all the time." Annabeth laughed and playfully smacked his chest. Percy smiled, enjoying how easy it was to make the beautiful girl beside him laugh. "No, I don't come here often, but my mother has been friends with the owner since they were kids and I've known Katie since middle school."

"Ahh… I see." Katie came by and handed Percy his beer mug and Annabeth's glass of wine. Annabeth took a sip. "So… Only you and I can add to your tab?"

"Yup. I don't trust the boys with my card and I have a feeling you're not the kind of person to take advantage of an innocent bystander." Annabeth laughed again.

"Now, I wouldn't go so far as to call you innocent."

Percy gasped in mock offense. "Maybe I should take back your access to my tab." Annabeth played along.

"What? No! Please! I'm sorry! I take it back!" They both broke down in laughter.

Once they calmed down, Percy pretended to be thoughtful. "I guess." Annabeth smacked his arm playfully again. "Alright! Alright! I rescind the order."

"Good." Annabeth leaned into him and Percy instinctively wrapped his arm around her shoulders, loving the way her body fit perfectly into his. Even with the low murmur of the crowd around them, it was as though he and Annabeth were in their own little world, happily waiting for the New Year to come, ready to spend it together. They weren't official yet, but Percy couldn't wait until it was. All he had to do was gather up the courage to ask. There was also the little complication with Annabeth having just broken up with her boyfriend and was probably not looking for another relationship. It didn't matter to Percy, he would take what he could get for now and keep an eye out for the signals. For now, he would enjoy the bubble that they were currently in. Unfortunately, their bubble was broken by the five other couples who'd just arrived. Percy and Annabeth didn't even notice their presence until a flash shocked them back to reality. "What the..?"

Thalia lowered the Polaroid camera, pulling out the film, waiting for it to develop. "Perfect," she said.

"You don't even know what it looks like, Thals,"Annabeth argued.

"Yes I do. I took the picture." Luke, her boyfriend, who had just flown in from Connecticut a few days before after spending Christmas with his family, rolled his eyes.

"Show them the pic, Thals," he said. Thalia pulled out her sharpie pen, wrote something on the bottom, flipped it over, wrote something on the back, and handed it to them. Percy looked at the photo and smiled. Annabeth was leaning into him with his arm wrapped around her. Both of them had their eyes closed and the most contented smiles on their face. The caption Thalia had written simply said, _'Percy + Annabeth'_ followed by a small heart. He flipped it over and saw that the date, 12-31-2019, was scribbled into the top-left corner.

"Thalia," Annabeth gasped. "I love this."

"See?" she said smugly. "Perfect." The other four couples watched the exchange excitedly, happy that Percy had finally found someone to make him happy. Jason stepped forward.

"Alright!" he cheered. "First round is on me!" He signaled to Katie who shot him a thumbs up. The ten other people squeezed into the large booth, fitting perfectly. Thalia took the spot beside Annabeth, followed by Luke, Will (Nico's boyfriend), Nico, Hazel, and Frank. Jason slid in next to Percy followed by Piper, Leo, and Calypso. A tray of shots was placed on the table in front of them, followed by Percy and Annabeth's food.

"Hey! Awesome! Food!" Leo exclaimed, reaching for a fried mozzarella stick. Percy reached over and slapped the friend's hand.

"Uh-uh. That's for me and Annabeth. You want food? You order it," he said, picking up the plates and placing them in front of himself and Annabeth.

"Fine." Leo signaled to Katie. "Can I get an order of the fried mozzarella?" He leaned in close and said in a lowered voice, "go ahead and add it to the Jackson tab."

"I'm sorry sir, that tab is restricted. If you want, I can go ahead and start a new one for you," was Katie's reply. Leo went bug-eyed and looked over at Percy, who only lifted his beer and took a drink with a satisfied smile. Annabeth laughed. Leo grumbled before handing over his own credit card. Jason picked up a shot glass and everyone followed.

"To a great New Year with friends and family," he toasted.

"Cheers," everyone replied before downing their shots and following them up with chasers.

"Another round," Jason called, the spirits high in their group.

•-•-•-•-•-•-•-•

It was nearing midnight and Annabeth was glad she was still sober. Granted, she had a nice buzz going on, but it was something a tall glass of water could fix. She looked over to the man sitting on her left and smiled as she watched him laugh at something Leo had said. It was then that she realized it: she loved Percy Jackson. After only knowing him for a little over a week, she'd fallen head over heels for the man. It was like something out of a movie or some fairytale book. It'd taken her nearly a year before she finally said 'I love you' to Ethan but if Percy said it to her tonight, she would definitely be saying it back. She thought it'd be a while for her to move on from Ethan and not be completely traumatized with having another relationship, but getting to know Percy, he'd gotten her to forget all of the pain and hurt that Ethan had caused.

Another flash brought her out of her thoughts and to her best friend who was hiding behind her Polaroid. She'd been taking pictures all night, documenting the good times they'd been having. She pulled the picture from the slot and wrote her caption with the sharpie pen along with the date on the back. _'When you just know,'_ was all the caption said. Annabeth looked at the now developed photo and she could clearly see the love in her eyes as she looked at Percy. It was definitely one of her favorite pictures. Thalia gave Annabeth a smile before stowing the picture away in her purse along with all of the other ones. Annabeth had asked her earlier that night what she was planning on doing with all of them and all her best friend said was that she'd be scanning them before putting them in a scrapbook, which Annabeth was okay with, as long as she had a copy of the pictures of her and Percy.

"Hey guys," Will said, interrupting all of the separate conversations going on in the group. "The ball's about to drop." Sure enough, everyone in the bar was standing, their attention on the large projected image of New Year's Rockin' Eve on the wall as the ball dropped and the countdown reached twenty seconds. The group climbed out of their booth and stood with the crowd, Percy and Annabeth stood more toward the back, away from everyone, but still able to see the screen.

 _Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six._

Annabeth looked over at Percy just as he looked over at her. Their eyes connected.

 _Five. Four. Three. Two. One._

"Happy New Year!" Everyone shouted, cheering and whooping. Couples all kissed and everyone was wishing each other a Happy New Year.

"Happy New Year," Percy said just loud enough that Annabeth could hear.

"Happy New Year," she replied. They both leaned forward until their lips touched, moving in sync with one another. The kiss was gentle, soft and full of promise of a bright future together. They didn't even notice the bright flash, _'True Love's Kiss,'_ nor the one right after they pulled apart, smiling at each other, _'Happily Ever After.'_

Annabeth couldn't help but think that meeting Percy, getting to know him, and falling in love with him really was her own personal fairytale. One that she never thought she'd see coming. The thought almost made her laugh: A Fairytale in New York. No one would believe it, but it happened. And, she hoped that this one did end in a Happily Ever After.

* * *

And there you have it! I'm glad we got to do this. I don't know when the next time I'll be posting but I hope my gift to y'all will suffice until then.

Let me know if I should do a full story following this storyline.

Don't forget to Review, Favorite, and Follow!

Remember,

Fluffy Pikachu Loves You!


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